Along with the recently prevailing electronic still cameras and computers, a hard copy technique has been rapidly developed for recording the images thereof on paper, etc. The ultimate goal of the hard copy is the provision of recorded materials having high quality like silver salt photographs. In particular, how close the color reproduction, image density, gloss, weatherability and the like can be brought to those of silver salt photographs is the problem posed during such development. The method for hard copy includes various methods such as a method comprising direct photographing of a display presenting images into silver salt photographs, sublimation heat transfer, ink jet method and electrostatic image transfer.
An ink jet printer has recently become very popular since it permits full color printing with ease and produces low printing noises. The ink jet printing is based on a high speed injection of ink drops from a nozzle toward recording materials, and the ink contains large amounts of solvents. For this reason, ink jet recording material is required to quickly absorb the ink and exhibit superior color developing performance.
However, conventional recording materials for ink jet printing have poor water resistance, so that when water adheres to the printed matter after absorption of the ink by an ink receiving layer, the ink tends to release from the material. In addition, slow absorption of the ink causes set-off during consecutive printing, and the gloss of the surface becomes poorer than in silver salt photographs, thus failing to provide high quality and high grade recording, such as silver salt photographs.
The present invention aims at solving such problems, and its object is to provide a recording material superior in water resistance, which has high gloss on the surface, permits recording by a color printer, and is capable of high quality and high grade recording like silver salt photographs, as well as methods for production thereof.